The Circulatory System - Sudden Illness/Emergency/First Aid

Heart Attacks, Strokes, and Cardiac Arrests

In the Circulatory System the most prone area to a sudden illness is the heart. It is the most vital organ to this system and also the engine that keeps the wheels rolling of the entire body. Because of the importance of this muscle, keeping your heart healthy is the highest priority and one must identify the several treacherous behaviors that can lead to a sudden attack. There are three main conditions that can become fatal, known as a heart attack, a stroke, and a cardiac arrest. With each of these situations can be a life or death situation therefore one must dial for emergency care, and get to a hospital immediately. More importantly one must know how to prevent such a dangerous crisis.

Many times one may see a heart attack where there are sudden and intense movements like in a movie and this some times occurs. However, most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often people affected aren't sure what's wrong and wait too long before getting help. This is why it is important to understand several clues to spot a heart attack. Most often there will be tremendous chest discomfort at the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain. The pain may not only be concentrated in the heart but spread throughout the upper body like the arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach. Sometimes there is even no pain in the heart but the symptoms include a shortness of breath. Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or lightheadedness. There is much more than what the movies depict in a heart attack and it is important become familiar with the realities of an attack.

Heart attacks and strokes are often confused because they both involve stoppage of blood in the arteries. The one difference is that a heart attack deals with blood to the heart and a stroke deals with blood to the brain. The dissimilarity results in unlike symptoms that are generally more sudden than a heart attack. A stroke can be spotted when an unexpected numbness occurs anywhere in a ligament or on the side of a body. If someone becomes detached and confused then this could be a sign of a stroke. Also a sudden trouble in eye sight, sudden lack of basic motor skill, and a sudden, severe headache are all indications of a stroke.

The last sudden illness is the cardiac arrest. And this is much more clearly cut because this is when the heart stops. One must look out for unresponsiveness and lack of breathing. Any two of these actions are sure signs of something severe and probably is cardiac arrest.
With any of these situations one must quickly dial 9-1-1 for an ambulance. For a heart attack there is nothing one can do at the moment to prevent any further destruction. Therefore it is imperative for when dealing with a heart attack and any other sudden illness to contact emergency care if any chest pains or other symptoms take place. For a stroke if given within three hours of the start of symptoms, a clot-busting drug called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) can reduce long-term disability for the most common type of stroke. When witnessing cardiac arrest one must begin CPR and obtaining an AED, after he calls for 9-1-1. It is always imperative that an ambulance is called for directly after a symptom is recognized.

To prevent any sort of health problem with a heart, one must be healthy, like in any sort of health condition. More specifically to keep the heart healthy one can follow certain points. Following a low-fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables, paying careful attention to the amounts and types of fat in your diet, and lowering your salt intake, can help lower high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol. Losing weight if you’re overweight or obese by doing physical activities can help keep your heart fit. Also quitting smoking helps to be healthy. In general you want to keep your blood and cholesterol levels low not high.

Being healthy is a serious issue. Problems with the heart can definitely lead to death. It is your choice to lead a healthy life.

Heart Attack:Dislpays the most common heart attack with the clotting of the artery.This leads to the dying muscle in the heart, and causes the heart to malfunction.

Cardiac Arrest/Stroke: Picture describes an artrial fibrillation which causes the disruption of the electrical system to cause rapid beating. This picuture also describes the blockage of blood to the brain as well.

Two types of strokes

Stroke: Hemorrhagic stroke is when the blood vessel in the brain ruptures

Dial 911: In any emergency it is imperative to call for emergency immediately

CPR is a lifesaving action that can be used after any of the three emergencies although it is prodominatly used on patiens going through cardiac arrest. CPR can support a small amount of blood flow to the heart and brain to “buy time” until normal heart function is restored. or emergency help arrives.

Heart Attack

Signals
- Chest discomfort.
- Discomfort in other areas of the upper body
- Shortness of breath
- Other
  - Cold sweat
  - Nausea
  - Lightheadedness
Response
- Learn the signals
- Dial 9-1-1
- Immediate
- Take blood-clotting drug (tPA) within 3 hours of symptoms
- CPR
Prevention
- Stay healthy
- Low Blood Pressure
- Low Blood Cholesterol
- Lose weight if overweight or obese
- No smoking
- Eat less
  - salty
  - fatty
- Eat more
  - vegetables
  - fruits

Physical Activity

Stroke

Sudden Signals
- Numbnes
  - Face
  - Arm
  - Leg
  - Especially on one side of the body
- Confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Severe headache with no known cause
Response
- Learn the signals
- Dial 9-1-1
- Immediate
- Take blood-clotting drug (tPA) within 3 hours of symptoms
- CPR
Prevention
- Know Risk Factors
  - High Blood Pressure
  - Smoking
  - Heart Disease
  - History of strokes in the family
  - Diabetes

Cardiac Arrest

Signals
- No Response
- Lack of Breathing
- Loses Consciousness
- No Pulse
- No Blood Pressure
Response
- Learn the signals
- Dial 9-1-1
- Immediate
- Give CPR
Prevention
- Eat heart-healthy
- Lower cholesterol
- Exercise regularly
- Control your blood pressure
- Lose weight
- Quit smoking
- Manage stress
- Relieve depression
- Avoid or control diabetes
- Know your family's medical history

Important Key Words

Heart Attack - When the heart loses function especially due to a blockage in the coronary artery
Ischemia - When the heart does not receive enough blood caused by a blockage of an artery
Platelets - Disc-shaped particles in the blood that aid clotting
Stroke - When a part of the brain does not receive blood due to a blockage or rupture
Ischemic stroke - Stroke caused by a clot blocking a blood vessel
Hemorrhagic stroke - Stroke caused by bleeding in the brain or a rupture
Atherosclerosis - occurs when fat (cholesterol) and calcium build up in the inner lining of the arteries, forming a substance called plaque. Over time, the fat and calcium buildup narrows the artery and blocks blood flow through it.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest - When the electrical system to the heart malfunctions and suddenly becomes very irregular. The heart beats dangerously fast. The ventricles may flutter or quiver (ventricular fibrillation), and blood is not delivered to the body.
Carotid Artery Stenting – Procedure to open blocked arteries in the heart
CPR - is a manual technique using repetitive pressing to the chest and breathing into the person's airways that keeps enough oxygen and blood flowing to the brain until the normal heart rhythm is restored with an electric shock to the chest, a procedure called defibrillation.